Cult classic horror fans, unite! Johnny Depp is taking the lead character in the classic revival of the 1933 hit horror film “The Invisible Man”, which will be produced by Universal Pictures. Can you say “easiest movie character role ever”?
Johnny Depp is a celebrated Hollywood actor who has several huge movie titles under his belt. Some of these movies include Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. The first time that Depp’s name surfaced was after Universal Pictures announced a series of classic horror film remakes taken from the 30’s and 40’s era to be made under the Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe. Johnny Depp was offered the lead role in The Invisible Man, while Hollywood actor Tom Cruise takes the lead in “The Mummy”, which is scheduled to be released early June of 2017.
So what are fans expecting on this new rehash of the old horror classics our ancestors enjoyed on the silver screen? The movie will still be based upon H.G. Well’s science fiction novel of the same name, and you can bet that an adaptation for modern audiences will be in place. Talks have come up about who would be in charge of the script, with Universal putting together a writer’s room for the entire Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe, with Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan leading the crew. You may know Kurtzman for his work on Star Trek: Into the Darkness and TV series Sleepy Hollow. Chris Morgan and the rest include Jon Spaihts and Eric Heisserer, Jay Basu, Ed Solomon, Aaron Guzikowski and Noah Hawley, each with their own film assignments in the collection of monster movies. The group of writers has been preparing for their respective scripts while immersing themselves on classic horror films from the studio and Hammer Films production library.
Note that this is the original B&W trailer… (NOT Johnny Depp)
https://youtu.be/tjkSNMjhKB4
The original movie was directed by James Whale with the Invisible Man portrayed by Claude Rains. Rains was mostly present on screen as a disembodied voice, or as a person who was covered in bandages. The only time he appeared in actuality was when the classic film was near the end.
The Invisible Man features a scientist who has had a breakthrough formula for being completely invisible. This “invisibility” formula has a dangerous side effect- it eventually drives a man insane. The power held by a mere mortal becomes too much to handle, and the mad scientist plans to do everything in his power to be normal again, no matter the price.
There are several major differences in the transition from novel to film- the novel sees Dr. Griffin as completely alone while the film shows him with a considerable social status and wealth. There’s also the motivation for being invisible- the film portrays it as a dangerous side effect while the novel shows the invisibility as a means to a mad cause. The film’s ending is also fundamentally different from the novel. The question begs to be asked: will it be the same or a different take altogether? Will it be a horrific success of a cult classic? We all can’t wait to find out!
